An Introduction to the Quran
The beauty of the Quran
The Quran was delivered to the prophet as a way of guidance and a message from Allah to mankind. The Quran is so beautiful in its words, of course since it is the words of Allah, and so well put together to the point that the Quran was compared to poetry, something that humans relate to. The Quran is NOT poetry. Not in any sense of the word. Poets in the past were known to write words that had a rhythmic affect to it, and hence people took the likeness of poetry to the words of the Quran, as the Quran too had rhythmic tones in it. However, what people did fail to notice were all the factors stated in the Quran:
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ – 69:40
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ – 69:41
[“This is verily the (revealed) word of an honoured messenger; it is not the word of a poet: Little it is you believe?”]
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ ۖ قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِّثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ – 10:38
[Or do they say [about the Prophet], “He invented it?” Say, “Then bring forth a surah like it and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allah, if you should be truthful.”]
بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِمَا لَمْ يُحِيطُوا بِعِلْمِهِ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِهِمْ تَأْوِيلُهُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الظَّالِمِينَ – 10:39
[Rather, they have denied that which they encompass not in knowledge and whose interpretation has not yet come to them. Thus, did those before them deny. Then observe how was the end of the wrongdoers.] Since there were many accusations, Allah dared the poets to come up with a surah like it, however, no one can copy the words of Allah. It is the only book to this very day that is true, that has never seen a change in a single letter or vowel, since its revelation, recited daily by 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide.
Quranic Divisions
- The Quran consists of 604 pages. There are 114 Chapters in the Quran. The smallest Chapter is Al-Kawthar (The Abundance), with only 3 verses, whilst the largest is Al-Baqarah (The Cow), with 286 verses. The first Surah is called The Fatihah (The Opening) and the final Surah is called Al-Nas (Mankind).Of the 114 chapters in the Quran, 86 are classified as Meccan, revealed in Mecca, while 28 are Medinan, revealed in Medina.
- There are 30 Juz in the Quran. A Juz usually consists of 20 pages. A Juz is further divided into 2 Hizb.
- A Hizb is a part of the Quran which is half the length of a Juz.
Each Hizb is made up of four quarters, known as Rubuc. There are 60 Hizb in the Quran.
The bottom number indicates the Juz’. Above the word hizb, there could be rubc = ¼ chapter, nisf = ½ chapter, thalathat arbac = ¾ chapter. This helps to bookmark, ease recitation and memorisation.
- An Ayah is a verse of the Quran.
The longest verse in the Quran is found in Surah Baqarah verse 282, which is a whole page long.
The shortest verse in the Quran, in terms of words, is found in Surah Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent) Ayah 64 which is one word.
You will find this symbol at the end of each ayah. The number shows the number of the ayah in the Surah.
This division is used by readers so that they are able to complete a reading of the Quran in a certain period of time. In Ramadan, you may finish a Juz per day to complete the Quran throughout the month. It is also useful in case of memorisation.
Rewards and Benefits of Reciting the Quran
- You will get rewarded for every letter that you read from the Quran.
وعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : “من قرأ حرفًا من كتاب الله فله حسنة، والحسنة بعشر أمثالها لا أقول: ألم حرف، ولكن ألف حرف، ولام حرف، وميم حرف”((راوه الترمذي وقال: حديث حسن صحيح)).
Ibn Mas’ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.” [At- Tirmidhi].
- Find it difficult to recite? You will be rewarded for that too!
وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ”الذي يقرأ القرآن وهو ماهر به مع السفرة الكرام البررة، والذي يقرأ القرآن ويتتعتع فيه وهو عليه شاق له أجران” ((متفق عليه)).
‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur’an will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur’an and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have two rewards.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
- Intercessor on the Day of Judgment
The Holy Quran will intercede on the Day of Judgment.
عن أبي أُمَامَةَ الْبَاهِلِي رضي الله عنه قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ “اقْرَءُوا الْقُرْآنَ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ شَفِيعًا لأَصْحَابِهِ” ((راوه مسلم)).
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Read the Quran, for verily it will come on the Day of Standing as an intercessor for its companions.” (Muslim)
- Learn Quran to be from the Best People
If you want to be one of those who are the best in the eyes of Allah, then learn the Quran and teach it to others.
عَنْ عُثْمَانَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ ” .
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The best of you are the ones who learn the Quran and teach it to others.” (Bukhari)
- Stay connected to Allah
Those who stay connected with Allah can never go wrong.
عن أبي عبد الله حذيفة بن اليمان، رضي الله عنهما، قال: صليت مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات ليلة، فافتتح البقرة، فقلت يركع عند المائة، ثم مضى؛ فقلت يصلي بها في ركعة، فمضى؛ فقلت يركع بها، ثم افتتح النساء؛ فقرأها، ثم افتتح آل عمران فقرأها، يقرأ مترسلاً إذا مر بآية فيها تسبيح سبح، وإذا مر بسؤال سأل، وإذا مر بتعوذ تعوذ، ثم ركع فجعل يقول: ” سبحان ربي العظيم” فكان ركوعه نحواً من قيامه ثم قال: ” سمع الله لمن حمده، ربنا لك الحمد” ثم قام قياماً طويلاً قريباً مما ركع، ثم سجد فقال: ” سبحان ربي الأعلى” فكان سجوده قريباً من قيامه” ((رواه مسلم).
“And when he (Prophet) recited the verses which referred to the Glory of Allah, He glorified him, the Great, and when he recited the verses that mention supplication, He supplicated, and when he recited the Verses that mention seeking Refuge of the Rabb He sought (His) refuge” (Sahih Muslim).
Daily recitation of Quran brings rewards from Allah and indeed it is one of the major ways which can lead us to paradise.
